Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will be a happy man right now following his side’s success during the 2024/25 season.
Under Maresca, Chelsea were able to finish fourth in the Premier League and win the Conference League.
They also have the chance to get their hands on the Club World Cup this summer, winning their first game of the tournament on Monday. Los Angeles FC manager Steve Cherundolo was very impressed with what he saw from the Blues.
However, the club’s co-sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, risk upsetting Maresca if they sanction the sale of one Chelsea player.
Aston Villa interested in Nicolas Jackson
Stewart and Winstanley could have a big decision to make during this transfer window, with Aston Villa thought to be interested in Nicolas Jackson.
According to GiveMeSport, Unai Emery is eyeing a reunion with the striker, whom he worked with at Villarreal.
There has been a lot of speculation about Jackson following Chelsea’s acquisition of Liam Delap and interest in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Chelsea had held positive talks with Eintracht over a potential deal for Ekitike.
Maresca, though, will be reluctant to let Jackson go, especially if Chelsea fail to land Eintracht’s French forward.
Enzo Maresca won’t want to see Nicolas Jackson at a rival club
Maresca is a huge fan of Jackson and has praised the 23-year-old on more than one occasion.
When Maresca spoke about Jackson after one game last season, the Italian said: “For me, he is doing very well. I have said many times, since we started, he is working hard on the ball and off the ball.”
With Villa also being one of Chelsea’s top-six rivals now, that gives Maresca another reason to be against the idea of selling Jackson to them. The Blues would be strengthening a fellow contender for Champions League qualification.
It has already been claimed that Maresca does not want Christopher Nkunku to join Arsenal this summer, and he was not even a key player for him during the 2024/25 campaign like Jackson.
At the beginning of that campaign, former Premier League striker Peter Crouch told TNT Sports that the former Villarreal man had been “unbelievable”, so others can see his quality as well. Ultimately, selling Jackson to Villa would be a huge mistake and is likely to displease Maresca.
